Warner, Kaine condemn Trump escalating trade war with China

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) released the following statement after President Trump announced his plan to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods beginning Sept. 1.

“We continue to have grave concerns regarding this Administration’s nonexistent trade strategy. Let’s be clear: trade policy should not be done through tweet; it should be through thoughtful collaboration with our allies to address China’s unfair trade practices. Instead, today’s erratic reversal on trade will only raise prices for Virginians and give China motivation to retaliate, which would further hit Virginia’s already-hurting agricultural producers even harder. For years, China has been one of Virginia’s top agricultural customers, but escalating the trade war will only continue to threaten a critical industry that’s borne the brunt of this incoherent strategy.”

Sens. Warner and Kaine have continued to warn the Trump Administration about how its haphazard approach on trade hurts Virginia’s families, businesses, and economy. According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), China is Virginia’s number-one agricultural export market for soybeans. In 2018, Virginia exported more than $58 million soybean products to China – an 83 percent decrease from 2017.